Ode to Joseph

I can't forget to mention that Joseph turned 21 in October.

Joseph worked hard to get his driver's license this year, but he also learned the bus route to get him to and from downtown in case he gets drunk - JUST KIDDING!. He has worked at Taco Bell and Smith's this year but hasn't loved either one, but he likes the money. He has some great friends online, but has struggled to meet anyone here in Vegas, but still likes it better here than Nebraska. I think Joseph loves spending time with family more than anything else, and continues to keep us laughing. He's taking time to figure out what he wants to do with his life. I know he's going to be great at whatever he does. He's smart, and imaginative, likes to keep learning new things all the time, and remembers everything in a way that I never could. He's also honest, and kind, and unique. I sound like such a mom, but I feel so lucky to be his mom, and I love him so much. Happy Birthday Joseph!

Fall Visits with Family

We went to Manti a couple of times in the fall, and were lucky enought to be there at the same time as other family on one occasion.

We took some time to go up in the mountains.

We played in the rain.

We watched the eclipse.

And Joe took some time to rip out the old rotted balcony on the house so we can get it replaced.

We were able to get free tickets to see Duran Duran, and we invited John and Joanna to join us. They intruduced us to the BEST all-you-can-eat Korean restaurant, which I would eat at EVERY day if I was rich.

The concert was great, even though there were very annoying people sitting behind us, and we had to stand for a lot of it because the people in front of us were standing. Man, I am SO OLD! Hahahaha! Marie's family came in October for a quick visit, and we discovered the Pinball Hall of Fame. It's half museum, half arcade....sort of. It has the world's largest collection of pinball machines (from the 1950's-1990's), as well as a bunch of classic arcade games. You can play all the machines (as long as they're working), and they range in price from 25 cents to 50 cents for the pinball machines, and 50 cents to I think 2 dollars for the most expensive arcade games. It was a cheap way to spend a fun hour or so.

We also went downt to the strip for dinner one night, and at the time they were setting up for the Formula One race on the strip, which took forever, created tons of traffic, and was an eyesore for tourists and locals alike.

We also met up with them in Saint George for Ava's band competition, and went to the open house for the Saint George temple.

Finally, Lorraine and Caden came for Thanksgiving. Nobody else could make it, including Rebekah who got sick. But we had a good time with a comical amount of pies (half of them were from my boss), a visit to the strip, and playing my least favorite game.

It's always a good time when we can spend it with family.

The Married Couple Visits

In August, and again in September, Cora and Andrew came for quick visits, and we did a few things that we hadn't done before. First up, we went to the Mob Museum. None of us were expecting much out of this museum. We thought it would be more like a kitschy exhibit, but this place is a ligit, fantastic museum, and we LOVED it! We spent quite a bit of time here, and honestly could have spent hours more. I'll just do a photo dump without explanation. I highly recommend it.

We spent some time on the strip, as we always do. We got these GIANT slushees (alcohol free versions) one night, right before we ate dinner, and that was a mistake. Although they were very refreshing on a hot summer night, we ended up having to dump a bunch because we couldn't finish fast enough before we were called to our table at the restaurant.

The Sphere (which is the newest concernt venue in Vegas - really a one-of-a-kind immersive entertainment experience) was starting to do projections on the outsie of the building at this time, even though they weren't officially opening until October. They would change the projection every minute, so it was fun to just hang out and watch. We got a good view from the top of the Venetian parking garage, and then we got up close and personal on the street.

We also had to get some Korean while they were in town (it happened to be Chuseok while they were here in September) - always a highlight for me. But this time it was extra special when we discovered that Las Vegas had a Paris Baquette. It's not French. It's as Korean as you can get when it comes to bakeries. Nostalgia at it's finest.

We also explored the New York, New York, Excalibur, and the Luxor hotels.

Whenever these kids come to visit, it's never enough time. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when all my kids live away from home. Heaven help us all!